NHER 64629 (Monument record) - Traces of Roman road and other, post-medieval and undated features

February-March 2019. Geophysical Survey.
Magnetometer survey of proposed development site (Area 6).
This survey identified a pair of parallel, fragmentary linear anomalies at the northern end of the site that clearly correspond with the recorded line of a Roman road (NHER 19725). These anomalies appear to lie at the margins of a faint soilmark that marks the position of the road (which is still visible on recent aerial images of the site).
A cluster of discrete and linear anomalies of varying strength identified in the north-west corner of the field also potentially represent archaeologically-significant remains. Although these anomalies partially coincide with the line of the Roman road it is suggested that they were probably associated with a more recent phase of activity. It is noted that they are immediately to the east of a millyard marked on the Ordnance Survey Six-inch First Edition map (S1). This was the site of a windmill shown on a map of 1797 (see NHER 40320).
This survey identified numerous other linear anomalies - the majority of which occurred in evenly spaced, parallel groups and therefore almost certainly represent modern drainage features. The small number of exceptions include a single east-to-west aligned anomaly that corresponds with a former field boundary shown on the Wymondham tithe map of 1839 (S2). Several other linear anomalies in the northern half of the site potentially represent ditches of greater antiquity, although it should be noted that these were all weak responses.
See report (S3) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 13 February 2021.